A mobile terminal is a portable/mobile electronic device which is portable and has functions of placing a voice call and a video call, inputting/outputting information, storing data and the like.
As it becomes multifunctional, a mobile terminal can be allowed to capture still images or moving images, play music or video files, receive broadcast, play games, and the like, so as to be implemented as an integrated multimedia player.
New efforts are ongoing to implement functionalities of multimedia devices. Such efforts include software and hardware improvements. As one example, a user interface environment is provided in order for users to easily and conveniently retrieve or select functions.
Also, many users have their mobile terminals to express their own personalities, and accordingly, various design factors are required for the mobile terminals. The design factors may include structural changes and improvements for users to use the mobile terminal more conveniently. As one of the structural change and development, a user input unit may be taken into account.
For example, a user input unit is implemented as a touch screen or a separately-provided key on a front surface, so as to receive a user input. However, the touch screen has a disadvantage in that an object to be manipulated is obscured by a finger or a stylus pen. A key separately provided on a front or side surface of a terminal body to obviate this disadvantage, however, interferes with a slim and simple design of the terminal. Therefore, a key or touchpad provided on a rear surface of the terminal body may be considered as a user input unit with a new structure capable of solving these disadvantages.